Rolex 'Leukaemia Foundation' is sailing for home

by Christine Campbell/Leukemia Foundation on 5 Dec 2008 The Leukaemia Foundation has received generous support from co-owners A/Professor Stewart Kellie, a Children's Hospital at Westmead Children's cancer and leukaemia specialist and Richard Holstein to sail their Sydney38 yacht in the Rolex Sydney Hobart Race under the name Leukaemia Foundation.

The 628 nautical mile race has been an incredible challenge to hundreds of skippers, navigators and crew each year. This is nothing compared to the challenges patients and their families face every day with leukaemia, lymphoma, myeloma and related blood disorders.

With almost 10,000 Australians expected to be diagnosed with blood cancer this year and a further 40,000 people living with these diseases in our community today, the need for the Leukaemia Foundation's services is even greater.

This will be the first year that the Leukaemia Foundation's two passionate, dedicated skippers and a technical crew of 10 will be sailing to raise funds for the Foundation's 'Home Away From Home' accommodation for patients and their families who need to live close to a hospital or treatment centre - sometimes for many months at a time.

General Manager in NSW/ACT for the Leukaemia Foundation, Stuart Allen, thanks all the Foundation's supporters who have made it possible for the Leukaemia Foundation to sail this year.

'We would like to thank Stewart and Richard for supporting the Foundation in this way,' said Stuart Allen. 'This is a once in a lifetime opportunity not only for the Foundation, but also for the public get involved and help us raise funds for more 'homes-away-from homes'. The Foundation would also like to thank RPData Information Services for enabling us to cover our yacht maintenance and running costs. Without them, we would not be able to participate in the race for the first time.'

Graham Mirabito, Managing Director and CEO, RPData said, 'As the leader of Australia's largest property information and analytics business, I am a proud to announce that the RP Data teams across all cities and regions, are committed to supporting the Leukaemia foundation who are working so hard to sustain quality of life for the people battling this illness.'

'RP Data is a company made up of extraordinary individuals who understand the importance of community care. Our support of the Leukaemia Foundation is something we are proud of and encourage all Australians that we are better off than most around the world, and to show their support for the foundation,' Graham Mirabito continued.

'This yacht race is the beginning of many events and activities to follow that show RP Data is a committed foundation supporter of this deserving charity,' said Graham Mirabito


'We have 128 fully furnished accommodation units across Australia for patients and families,' said Stuart Allen. 'These are provided free of charge and all utility, rate and maintenance costs are borne by us. Families stay as long as they need it.'

'Typically, the treatment for leukaemia, lymphoma, myeloma and related blood disorders is a lot longer than most other cancers so it can have a greater impact on a family financial situation, employment, social network and education. The average length of treatment is 8 months but can extend to years,' Stuart Allen continued.

'Major treatment centres are mainly located in capital cities, so families from regional and rural areas have to uproot their lives and relocate, virtually overnight, for extended periods of time. This is particularly traumatic as the relocation often occurs immediately after diagnosis, resulting in patients and families adjusting to their new circumstances without the benefit of established local support networks,' said Stuart Allen. 'In the last twelve months, 1,149 families stayed for 43,135 nights free of charge in our home away from home accommodation, and the demand is increasing. This is why we need to fund more accommodation.'

If you would like to donate to the 'Home-away-from-Home' Accommodation Fund go to http://www.leukaemia.org.au/nsw and click on the Rolex Sydney Hobart Yacht Race challenge or to sponsor a nautical mile go to http://www.everydayhero.com.au/event/sydney_hobart_charity_challenge.

Berths are available for the return trip. The Leukaemia Foundation sets sail on January 4th and it will take about 8 days to get back to Sydney. If you are interested in a berth please contact Claudia Ocean on 9902 2227 or cocean(at)leukaemia.org.au.